Some school officials not too keen on four-day weeks

Friday

Some school officials remain skeptical of the academic benefits of a four-day school week as lawmakers continue to debate the matter at the state level.

Some school officials remain skeptical of the academic benefits of a four-day school week as lawmakers continue to debate the matter at the state level.

Earlier this week, Missouri House members approved a bill by a vote of 98-62 that would give school districts the option of reducing the school week to four days while lengthening the school day by little more than an hour.

The result would be 32 fewer days of instruction time each year, from 174 days to 142, while the number of instruction hours would remain the same.

The bill still needs approval by the Missouri Senate.

State Rep. Mike Thomson, R-Maryville, said the measure would make the four-day week an option — not mandatory for school districts — as an option to save on transportation and utilities, among other areas.

“If this was a measure to make the four-day school week mandatory, I wouldn't support it,” Thomson said. “But for those districts that are really facing budget problems, at least this gives them another option."

Nodaway County superintendents interviewed for this story agreed they like that lawmakers are giving them more options to save money, while leaving it up to local officials to decide whether reducing the school week is a good option.

But even if the bill does pass, it doesn't mean students can look forward to a possible three-day weekend anytime soon.

Terry Hutchings, superintendent of South Nodaway Co. R-IV, said he's been studying the possibility of reducing school days for years.

Although it would be an effective cost-cutting measure, there are too many doubts about how it would affect students academically.

“Especially for the younger age children, I think a shorter school week could have negative ramifications,” Hutchings said. “I don't think those students are old enough to spend more time in a day at school just to eliminate a full day out of the week.”

Superintendents Karma Coleman, of Nodaway-Holt R-VII, Jeff Mehlenbacher, of Northeast Nodaway Co. R-V, Hutchings and John Zeliff, assistant superintendent of Maryville R-II, also agree reducing the school week could have negative effects on student achievement.

Coleman said having an extra day away from school would likely make it difficult for students to retain what they've learned in the classroom. Mehlenbacher also echoed concerns by some lawmakers about parents having to pay for child care or make other changes to accommodate the extra day children wouldn't be in school.

Essentially, before district officials would consider reducing the school week, they'd have to see a model of how the four-day school week could be used to benefit academics.

“You look at the school calendar we have in place now –– that's the result of a lot of changes made over time,” Zeliff said. “So this four-day week could evolve overtime into something used to benefit academic achievement and enhance student learning.
“We just have to wait and see.”

To learn more about this bill, titled HB242, or to track it, go to www.house.mo.gov.

Maryville Daily Forum

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